Here's how often you have to work out to make a ClassPass membership worth it

If you're a fan of
high-end fitness studios, your membership will pay off after just
four visits.lululemon
on Flickr

Fitness membership program ClassPass
became a $400 million company by offering a unique
proposition — for $99 a month, you can take as many fitness
classes as you like, without committing to a gym.

There are a few caveats.

You're limited to studios that
partner with ClassPass, you can only take three classes at each
studio per month, and you have to cancel at least 12 hours in
advance, or else you'll be charged $15.

Business Insider'sAlyson
Shontell tested out ClassPassand concluded that the strict cancellation
policy was the hardest thing about the
service. She also
found that classes tended to book up quickly, making it difficult
to get a spot if you don't plan far in advance.

So is the $99 a month worth it?

That depends on how often you work out — and where.

If you're a fan of trendy fitness studios with sparkling lobbies,
great music, and perks like free hair elastics, it will only take
four visits for your ClassPass membership to pay off. With
classes costing $20 to $40 on average, you only have to go once a
week to make your $99 membership worth it. And if you work out
more frequently than that, joining ClassPass could save you a
considerable amount of money.

Without a membership, that would cost me $127
for just four days of workouts. If I paid $99 for a ClassPass
membership instead, I'd save $28, and I'd be ahead even if I
didn't work out again for the rest of the month.

Of course, you could get a discount at a particular studio by
buying a package deal — for instance, at Pure Barre, you can get
20 classes for $500, bringing the price down to $25 per class
(which would still take four classes to break even with a
ClassPass membership, although you wouldn't be permitted to take
four classes at one studio in a single month).

If you take a boutique gym class four times a month, your
ClassPass membership would be worth it.

However, let's say you typically look for the cheapest possible
class option, and limit yourself to $5 classes at your
neighborhood community center or nonprofit yoga collaborative. In
that case, you'd pay the equivalent of 20 classes for your
monthly membership. If you aren't attending 20 classes a month
now and don't plan to start — or an average of five classes a
week — you'd be paying more for ClassPass than you do for your
current workout, with less flexibility than you currently have.

CLASSPASS, $99/month

Worth it: If you like popular (and pricey)
workouts like barre class and spinning, and take four or more
classes a month.

Not worth it: If you're on a tight budget, happy
sticking with a no-frills workout, and take fewer than three
boutique gym classes per month.